Easy Party Appetizer: Ham Delights

I first had ham delights back in the 80's when my sister-in-law made them for a holiday party. I'm not 100% sure where the recipe originally came from. I then made them for my own family and the recipe got passed around over the years. These little sandwiches make an appearance for most holiday get-togethers... even all these years later. They are so simple and perfect for a party because you can make them in advance... or even freeze them if you make up a big batch so you can have some anytime. Keep this recipe handy for tailgating season, too. Add some spicy chili or tomato soup and your friends will be happy no matter what happens with the game!

Cheesy Guilty Pleasure: Ham DelightsPARTY HAM DELIGHTS

Preheat oven to 400

Ingredients

3 packages Pepperidge Farms Party Rolls*

1 pound ham, shredded (use boiled or leftover ham of any kind)

1/2 pound Swiss cheese, finely grated

1/2 pound butter, softened

3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

1 small white or yellow onion

1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

Salt and pepper

Dash cayenne pepper

Prep and assembly:

Prep the rolls by removing them from the tray and slicing them in half. Do not separate the individual rolls. Put the bottom back in the tray. Cover until later.

Next grate the Swiss cheese, if you did not buy the already grated kind.

Prep the ham by putting it into the food processor to shred it. Remove to a bowl.

Put the onion the food processor and finely chop. Add the butter, mustard, Worcestershire, S&P, cayenne, and the poppy seeds; whir until it is a spreadable consistency.

Leaving the bottom in the tray, spread the top and the bottom of the rolls with the mixture. Add a layer of ham and a layer of cheese. Put the top on. Dab a little butter here and there on top. Cover the entire tray with foil and wrap tightly. Bake until toasty and cheese melts.... about 20 minutes.

Slice in-between the rolls with a serrated knife and serve warm.

I've "gourmet-ed" these up by adding some unique farm cheeses... or Gouda, Gruyere, and Goat cheese is also a delicious combo!

*If you cannot find the little rolls... make this on a loaf of French bread- split in half. Wrap it in foil, bake according to the directions. To serve, slice the loaf into 1/2" slices.

Easy Entertaining: Simple Seafood Ceviche Recipes

Ceviche is a seafood dish popular in coastal regions of most Latin American countries. Refreshing and delicious, it is now becoming popular in American restaurants in recent years. Because ceviche is healthy, simple and really flavorful, it will become a summer go to when you are having friends over, it's perfect for Friday night Margaritas after work. Best of all, ceviche is simple, unique, and super fast! Use a firm white fish that will hold its shape. Cut into uniform size pieces so the fish cooks evenly in the marinade.

SIMPLE SEAFOOD CEVICHE

1 pound red snapper or other fish cut into 1/4 inch cubes

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 red onion, diced

1 small tomato, diced very small

1/2 cup red pepper, diced very small

1/2 cup yellow pepper, diced very small

1 jalapeno pepper, stems/seeds removed, diced very fine

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced into a paste or grated with a microplane or grater

pinch of cumin

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

In a large Zip-loc bag, add the fish with enough lime juice to cover. Marinate for 20 minutes.

Combine the remaining ingredients except the cilantro and the olive oil in a bowl along with 1/4 cup of the lime juice used for the marinade. Remove the fish from the marinade and add to the mixture, stirring gently. Chill completely, at least one hour. Stir in the cilantro just before serving.

Serve in a chilled glass with avocado slices, wedges of lemon or lime, and tortilla chips.

SIMPLE SHRIMP CEVICHE

The same as above except instead of marinating the fish, you roast shrimp first. Get a bowl of ice water ready. Place one pound peeled and deveined shrimp on a baking pan. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in a 425 degree oven for 3-5 minutes- just until the shrimp first start to turn pink. Any more and the shrimp will be tough! Remove them from the oven and put them immediately into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Immediately drain the shrimp and chop into large pieces; add to the other ingredients and chill well. Before serving, add chopped avocado and cilantro. Toss gently.

Want a great recipe to go with ceviche? Try one of my Classic or Pomegranate Margaritas!

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More Shrimp Recipes: Shrimp Arnaud, New Orleans Style Shrimp, Beer Boiled Shrimp, Coconut Shrimp and more

We had some great shrimp recipes posted on our Facebook page for National Shrimp Day! Here are some of the favorites: Shrimp Arnaud, BBQ Shrimp New Orleans Style, Beer Boiled Shrimp, Coconut Shrimp, and my One Pot Shrimp Boil plus links to more of our delicious shrimp recipes! Do I sound like Forrest Gump again??? 

I like to use Wild Alabama Gulf Coast Shrimp when possible. Our shrimpers are back in the water and back in business... like Forrest said, folks still need them shrimps for their shrimp cocktails...:)

SHRIMP ARNAUD

(Submitted by Denise H from Birmingham, Alabama)

Ingredients

1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
4 tablespoons Creole or other spicy mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped celery
3 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

Directions
Boil shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes or until just done. Rinse in cold water and refrigerate for 1 hour. Mix olive oil, vinegar, paprika, salt, pepper, mustard, celery, onion and parsley and chill. "Enthrone" shrimp on lettuce and top with sauce.

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BBQ SHRIMP NEW ORLEANS STYLE

(Submitted by 30A on our Facebook page)

Ingredients
12 ea large gulf shrimp
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 oz chopped garlic
½ oz chopped rosemary
¼ bottle Abita amber beer
2 oz Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrin's)
1 oz hot sauce (Crystal)
1/2 oz Steen’s cane syrup
1 tsp Creole seasoning
½ oz lemon juice
4 Tbsp whole butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Season the shrimp with Creole seasoning.
2. In a large sauté pan over high heat, sauté shrimp in cooking oil. Flip shrimp after 1 minute then add garlic and rosemary.
3. De-glaze pan with the beer and then add Worcestershire, Steen’s and hot sauce.
4. Cook shrimp for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and add lemon juice, and whole butter.
Serve shrimp over grits.

STONE GROUND GRITS

Ingredients

1 cup yellow stone-ground grits ( I like the McEwen & Sons grits if you can find them!)
3 cup milk
½ cup cream
4 oz butter
Salt and white pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a sauce pot, bring milk to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and add grits.
2. Continue cooking for about 25 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add cream and butter and season to taste with salt and white pepper.

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BEER BOILED SHRIMP

(suggested by Pamela T from our Facebook page)

Ingredients

5 pounds large shrimp, heads off

2 cans or bottles of beers (any kind)

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning

2 lemons, cut into slices

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the shrimp. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in shrimp. Cover. Boil 3 minutes and remove from the heat. Allow to steam 5-6 more minutes. The shrimp should be bright pink in color. Serve immediately with lemons, some spicy cocktail sauce, and saltine crackers. Or you can chill and serve cold.

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COCONUT SHRIMP

(Inspired by our new friend Sharon Y on our Facebook page)

Canola oil or peanut oil for frying

12-16 large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tail on

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

Dash of cayenne pepper

1/2 lime, juiced: about 2 tablespoons

2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

3/4 cup beer

1 package (7 ounces) sweetened, shredded coconut

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs (in the Asian aisle in some stores or by the regular breadcrumbs)

Dipping Sauce

1 cup orange marmalade

dash of your favorite hot sauce or cayenne pepper

Directions

Prepare a sheet pan that will fit in the fridge with some parchment paper or wax paper. Sit aside.

Butterfly the shrimp by splitting them in half- taking care not to cut all the way through.

Make a marinade of the coconut milk, lime juice, and cilantro. Add the shrimp. Cover and let them sit for at least 30 minutes.

In a bowl, add the flour and season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the beer to make a batter.

Combine the coconut and the Panko breadcrumbs on a shallow pan or bowl.

Drain shrimp but do not pat them dry. Dredge the shrimp in the batter, then roll in the coconut and breadcrumb mixture, pressing it into the shrimp. Place on the prepared pan and put into the freezer for at least 15 minutes. Pan fry or deep fry. Drain on paper toweling. 

Serve with a sauce of warmed orange marmalade spiked with a dash of hot sauce.

Want more shrimp recipes?

Martie's One Pot Shrimp Boil

Pickled Citrus Shrimp

Chili Lime and Garlic Grilled Shrimp

Charlotte's Shrimp Etouffee

Jody's Super Easy BBQ Shrimp

Bobby Flay's Coconut Thai Shrimp

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Recipes from our Friends: Jody's BBQ Shrimp

Our friend Jody W of BirminghamI had the great pleasure of meeting Jody from our mutual friend Jessica Cooley- you might remember Jessica as our gorgeous, blonde bombshell RV driver from the Martie Knows Parties tv pilot we filmed last year? Anyway- since then, I've gotten to know Jody better and found out that she's quite the cook. We worked on a tornado clean-up effort together last week and I'm her biggest fan! She talked about this BBQ Shrimp recipe and I told her could not wait to try it. As luck would have it, perfect timing, she sent it to me on National Shrimp Day! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us, Jody! Can't wait to dip that bread in and take a bite! Yummmyyyy!

JODY'S BBQ SHRIMP

Makes enough for 4-6 depending on how hungry you are. I say 4... they are that good. 

Ingredients

4 lbs unpeeled large fresh/frozen shrimp
2 lemons cut into wedges
2 bay leaves
1 cup of butter, melted
1 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning (find it in most spice aisles or near the seafood counter)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme 

Place the shrimp in a 13x9 inch pan; top with lemon wedges and bay leaves
Stir together butter and the next 6 ingredients. Pour over shrimp. 
Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until shrimp are pink. Stir every 10 min.  Discard bay leaves.

Serve with lots of fresh French bread for dipping.

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Chili, Lime and Garlic Grilled Shrimp

In the South, nothing says summer like shrimp.... you know Forrest Gump: Lemon Shrimp, boiled shrimp, BBQ Shrimp, Shrimp Etouffee.... do I need to go on? You can make a marinade for your shrimp out of just about anything. Toss it in a Ziploc bag and let them swim around for a while, then grill those babies up.... nothing better! Here's a quick summer shrimp recipe that you can make for a party or for supper for two on the deck.... it will make you feel like you've taken a trip to the beach, even if you didn't! I like to serve this one with a super cold beer with a lime squeezed in to cut the heat of the chili. Sooo good!

CHILI LIME & GARLIC GRILLED SHRIMP

Ingredients

6 limes (zest and juice 3-4, save the others for garnish)

4 cloves garlic , minced

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Dash cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes

2 pounds large shrimp , peeled and deveined (I leave the tails on-- or you CAN leave the peel on)

1/4 cup cilantro , chopped

Directions

Zest three limes and juice them.  You'll want about 1 tablespoon of lime zest and one 1/2 cup lime juice.  Place all ingredients into a large Ziploc bag. Toss and refrigerate 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before grilling. Thread skewers with 4 to 5 shrimp each. Remember- if you use wooden skewers, you need to soak them in water for an hour before you put them on the fire. Shrimp are DONE when they just turn pink. Any more heat will make them tough! Light your grill or heat your grill pan to medium. When coals are medium-hot or grill pan is heated, put the shrimp on a paper towel to absorb the excess marinade. Place the skewers on the heat. Grill 2 to 3 minutes on each side, just until curled and pink in color. Remove from grill and slide off skewers. Serve with a squeeze of lime over cilantro lime rice or just with some nice crusty bread.

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